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DeAndre Hopkins Goes Above and Beyond, Pledges Game Check to Family of Slain Young Girl

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It has been widely known in NFL circles that DeAndre Hopkins is one of the best receivers in the league.

But now people are starting to realize that the Texans star is also one of the best people in the league.

Ahead of the Texans’ wild-card playoff game Saturday against the Indianapolis Colts, Hopkins posted on social media that he is donating his playoff check to help the family of a slain 7-year-old girl in Houston.

Hopkins is donating his $29,000 playoff check to help cover the funeral costs for Jazmine Barnes. He also said he would join in an effort to bring the little girl’s killer to justice.

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“What I can do, that’s nothing, that won’t bring back a person,” Hopkins said Thursday. “I’m not trying to make it out about me or anything like that. It’s the least I could do.”

Jazmine was killed Sunday morning during a routine breakfast run for her mother. LaPorsha Washington took Jazmine and her three sisters to get coffee and juice when someone pulled up alongside their vehicle and began firing.

Jazmine died at the scene while her mother was also wounded. Washington believes the shooting was intentional.

“As I turned around and looked back at the street, I heard shots start firing and they came through my window, broke my glass, and hit me in my arm,” Washington said. “They sped off in front of us and the truck slowed down and continued to fire as he was in front of us.

“It was not fair. It was not fair. He intentionally killed my child for no reason. He didn’t even know her, he didn’t know who she was.”

The situation hit close to home for Hopkins, who has a young daughter of his own.

“I have 5-year-old daughter. That could have been anybody in that position,” he said. “Or anybody in the city. It’s just unfortunate.”

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Hopkins isn’t the only notable athlete who has pitched in to help Jazmine’s family; NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal dropped off a check at the church where her funeral is set to take place.

The unidentified gunman is described as a white man in his 40s. Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said the shooting “just seems to be random,” HuffPost reported.

The reward for information leading to the killer’s arrest has been increased to $100,000.

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Ross Kelly has been a sportswriter since 2009.
Ross Kelly has been a sportswriter since 2009 and previously worked for ESPN, CBS and STATS Inc. A native of Louisiana, Ross now resides in Houston.
Location
Houston, Texas
Languages Spoken
English
Topics of Expertise
Sports




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